Gmail 2.0 for iOS has arrived with multiple account support and more

Google has updated their Gmail appfor iOS with several new additions, and its most requested feature of all – multiple account support – has finally been implemented. The official Google mail client for the iPhone has improved over various updates, but users were only able to add one Gmail account at a time, which was a deal breaker for many. From Google Product Manager Matthew Izatt:

Six months ago, our team set out to completely rebuild the Gmail app for iPhone and iPad to give you you a faster, sleeker, and easier experience on iOS. The result? Version 2.0. With version 2.0 of the app, you’ll get a totally new look and feel, plus a bunch of improvements like profile pictures in messages, numerous new animations from swivels to transitions and infinite scrolling in the message lists.

The update has introduced a redesign that’s not just much cleaner than previous versions, but it has even mimicked Sparrow’s swipe gesture for accessing accounts, labels, settings and more. If you’ll recall, Sparrow was acquired by Google earlier this summer, so this isn’t all that surprising.

Other new and handy features found in 2.0 include predictive search (autocomplete predictions as you type, which works well and will save time looking up those long archived emails), infinite scrolling inbox (simply scroll down to end of inbox to automatically pull up more emails), the ability to RSVP to Google Calendar invites as well as +1 and comment on Google+ posts from within the app.

This Gmail update is long overdue for iOS, particularly being able to setup more than one Gmail account, but as they say, it’s better late than never. Personally, I still prefer to use Sparrow on my iPhone 5 (it was recently updated to support its 4″ display), mainly because of the better gestures support — swipe on any message under inbox view to reveal options for labelling, archiving, starring etc. and swipe right while within an email to return to the inbox. Of course, Sparrow is an iPhone only app and it does cost $2.99, while Gmail is universal and completely free. That said, one of the biggest advantages of the Gmail app over Sparrow is that it supports push notifications of new mail, which for most users is a feature they can’t live without.

Note: If you’re trying to update Gmail from a previous version right on your iDevice and are getting an error message (something along the lines of “this items is no longer available for purchase”), you can manually do a search for “Gmail” in the App Store app and update from that screen. Conversely, you can delete the existing Gmail app and re-download it.

Description

Get the official Gmail app for your iPhone or iPad. The newly redesigned app brings the best of Gmail with real-time notifications, multiple account support and search across your entire inbox. With the Gmail app, you can:

● Switch between up to 5 accounts ● Get notified of new mail fast, with notification center, badge and lock screen options ● Search through all your mail quickly – now with predictions as you type ● See profile pictures as part of the conversation ● Read your mail with threaded conversations ● Auto-complete contact names as you type from your Google contacts or your phone ● Respond to Google Calendar invites right from the app ● Read and respond to interactive Google+ posts right from the app ● Organize your mail by archiving, labeling, starring, deleting and reporting spam ● Send and receive attachments ● Customize emails with custom scribbles